Global Jidai no Asia Toshi-ron (Theorizing Asian cities in a global age - How can we create sustainable cities?)

Today’s Asian cities are experiencing huge changes due to rapid economic development and urbanization. One of the main problems faced is how to create sustainable cities. Sustainable cities balance economic development, environmental protection, and social equality. The task of this book is to provide a roadmap toward the creation of sustainable cities for developing countries like those in Asia.
 
Until now, many cities in Asia have emphasized urban development that prioritizes economic growth. In terms of the process of developing into sustainable cities, in the future, these cities will likely cycle through a process of sustainable urban development that balances economic development, environmental protection, and social equality in a spiral manner depending on the economic, social, and political conditions of the time. Furthermore, approaches like the eco city approach, which aims to achieve environmental protection and social equality, or the green growth approach, which aims at economic growth and environmental protection, will be adopted.
 
Many of Asia’s cities face several problems at the hands of the global economy, ranging from environmental issues such as air pollution and traffic congestion to increasing economic fragility, growing disparities within society, conflict, and the increasingly frequent occurrence of devastating natural disasters due to the effects of climate change. Thus, the limits of traditional approaches that prioritized economic growth are evident. In this context, many of these cities are beginning to take an inclusive growth approach, which attempts to sustain economic growth while improving social equality through poverty alleviation. Environmental protection is likely to become another focus point of policy going forward.
 
This book discusses cities in developing Asian countries and the structures that comprise them. It also offers valuable knowledge regarding strategies for tackling the issues these cities face. The first half deals with the topic of the growth dynamism of Asian cities and sustainable development and outlines the theory of social development required to understand Asian cities, the state of social policies and governance, and the emergence of civil society; urban planning systems and their implementation; mechanisms for urban improvement; and the history of these cities. The second half is concerned with recipes for sustainable urban development, and discusses the various problems faced by cities from multiple perspectives including climate change and environment issues, disaster prevention, support for the urban poor, finance, and urban-level international cooperation. The book considers possible measures for combating these and is an invaluable resource not only for those actually involved in urban development in Asia, but also anyone interested in it.
 

(Written by KIDOKORO Tetsuo, Associate Professor, School of Engineering / 2018)